States try to limit droopy drawers

Sunday

Aug 10, 2014 at 6:00 AMAug 10, 2014 at 11:14 AM

By Donna Boynton TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF

Walking along city streets, it's hard not to notice men with a distinct swagger ... and sag.

You might have the urge to tap him on the shoulder and tell him his pants are falling down, only to stop yourself as you realize the man in front of you is wearing his pants exactly where he wants them — far below his waist on his pelvis (or lower), giving off a glimpse of the boxers du jour.

In some communities, droopy drawers push the envelop of public decency. Last month, Ocala, Florida, passed an ordinance that prohibits anyone from wearing pants 2 inches below the natural waist exposing underwear on public property, such as sidewalks, parks or public pools. Violators face a fine of $500 or jail time.

In Connellsville, Pennsylvania, it is illegal to wear pants lower than 5 inches below the waist, a fact you can learn from one of those "10 Weird Laws Still on the Books."

Massachusetts has not been immune to attempts at a cover-up effort. Last year, the Black Mental Health Alliance of Massachusetts campaigned to have the style outlawed under the state's open and gross lewdness laws, punishable by a fine up to $300 or three years in state prison. But unlike saggy pants, it failed to catch on.

"This is not fashion. In the fashion industry, it does not exist," said Armando Sodano, owner of Armando's, a men's shop on Grafton Street in Worcester. "I don't want to see someone's underwear when they are walking down the street."

It's a style not just limited to men and the likes of Justin Bieber; laws are taking a shot at what's also known as "plumber's crack" mostly with men, and the "whale tail" — the sight of a woman's thong rising above low-slung pants. Saggy pants is an issue that is addressed not just in ordinances and bylaws, but school dress codes and job training programs.

"If a law like that was passed here, I'd be a little upset," said Jesus Gomez, 23, of Worcester, who on occasion sags his pants. "It's comfortable, but if I need to be presentable, I step it up and look right. But If I am here just hanging out, I don't see the problem. I've been doing this forever, but I know when I have to be presentable."

Quaheem Minton, 15, likes to be comfortable, too.

"I used to sag my pants," said Quaheem, who has moved on to basketball shorts. Gesturing to his waist, he added, "I like don't like my pants too tight. I have to have a little space. I don't think people should be fined or arrested for sagging their pants. Worcester's full of people who sag their pants. There probably wouldn't be enough room in jail for people who sag their pants."

Essentially, some of those anti-sag laws would put people right back where the trend is rumored to have started.

Saggy pants, according to common lore, started in prisons as the result of ill-fitting uniforms. With belts not allowed in prison due to the risk of suicide, pants fell below the waist and were worn where they could be held up. Accustomed to that style after serving time, former prisoners made a habit of wearing their pants that way.

Over time, the origins of saggy prison pants took on a hidden sexual meaning, indicating that you were open to an intimate experience with a fellow inmate. Others argue it originated as the result of hand-me-down clothing.

Regardless of the origins, there has been an uprising against extreme low-rise pants. In addition to those communities that choose to police the fashion of their residents, some businesses are extending "No shirts, No shoes, No Service" and adopting Ocala, Florida's "No Ifs, Ands, or Butts..." attitude.

At his clothing store, Mr. Sodano is often measuring young men for tuxedos, and has one simple rule for his client.

"I won't measure you for a tuxedo if you don't pull your pants up," said Mr. Sodano.

Today, Mr. Sodano said, young men who dress that way are not following any trend in the fashion world.

"They are low-life wanna-be gangsters. They think it is the gangster look," Mr. Sodano said of the men he sees on Grafton Street. "We all follow someone, whether they are rappers, movie stars, singers ... These kids are idolizing drug dealers on the street corner."

"We all like to say go ahead, do what you want, but there has to be a limit," Mr. Sodano said.

Where there have been proposals to force people to pull up their pants, there has also been criticism. From Louisiana to New Jersey, saggy pants laws have been called racist and unconstitutional.

For some, how they dress is a statement of their personal identity, but when looking for a job the identity expressed should be "suitable for the job," not "moonlighting as an underwear model."

"If I am an employer, and I am going to interview you, you only get one chance to make a first impression," said Robert Thomas, division director or the Martin Luther King Jr. Opportunity Center. "People make judgments based on your outside appearance. You don't want people thinking you are a hooligan or a slob."

At a recent job training program, Mr. Thomas tried to impress upon participants that proper dress is required for any job, whether it be for office or outdoors.

"At a construction project, you don't have to wear a suit and tie, but you do have to dress neat and cleanly," Mr. Thomas said. "Saggy pants can get caught on a machine, a worker can get injured and employer's insurance can go up. People have to wear clothes that fit them properly, clothes that cannot cause any inconvenience or get snagged on a machine. Some people think, 'You're an old man. you don't know what's hip,' but it's not about being hip. Don't over dress, don't under dress, but dress for the occasion."

Yet low-hanging pants on men and women, as well as short shorts, yoga pants and other revealing clothing have become acceptable because it is permissible attire in some schools, and parents allow it.

"Our society has a tendency to tolerate nonsense," Mr. Thomas said.

In Worcester Public Schools, the dress code states droopy pants or clothing that reveals underwear is not allowed, as well as bare backs, cleavage-exposing shirts, see-through materials and shorts and skirts that are shorter than the student's fingers when arms are extended at their side.

"No one should be able to see your underwear when you are dressed," said Worcester School Committee member Tracy A. Novick, adding the dress code is under review by a subcommittee. "Dress in a way that ensures you can pay attention in school. Dress in a way that is comfortable, dress for something serious. At the end of the day, if you are paying attention to your clothing, you are not paying attention to algebra."

Most recently there have been some concerns about the thin width of girls' tank top straps which expose their bra straps. While that is not specifically addressed in the dress code, some school administrators have taken it upon themselves to provide the female student with a sweater.

"When it's 90 degrees out, you know how hot it gets in a school building. Now you've put on a sweater and you are causing more of a distraction because that student is sweltering," Ms. Novick said.

"You have to remember that these students are growing human beings," Ms. Novick said. "When you are 12, 13 and 14 there is a lot going on with you and sometimes you are making a statement, and other times you are just trying to get through the day."

What you wear also depends on what is available at stores. Ms. Novick said a group of parents have contemplated contacting retailers to complain about the types of clothing styles offered to their children.

However, there is a market for covering up the over-exposed. Duluth Trading Co. of Bellville, Wisconsin, has a Longtail T-shirt, which they market as "Crack Spackle," and ensures the end of plumber's butt.

According to a statement from Duluth Trading Co., the T-shirt was introduced in 2002 "in the cause of modesty and good taste."

"A little bit of innovation — three extra shirt inches — solved an age-old problem: the infamous, much feared Plumber's Butt. Suddenly, the guys who bend over when they work had new respectability," according to Duluth. "By spackling the plumber's crack, they were better able to stay in the good graces of clients and fellow tradesmen. And to everyone's relief, they stopped frightening unsuspecting passersby."

Since its introduction, Duluth has sold almost 3 million of the original Longtail T and has created 25 different styles to keep men of all shapes and sizes covered. The company has also introduced a Longtail T for women offering two additional inches offering women more coverage.

Duluth said their Longtail T is a popular seller in Florida, Texas and New Jersey, but cannot confirm that it is due to anti-sag ordinances.

"There has always been something to be mortified by — in the 1960s and 1970s, boys were growing their hair long. In the 1980s, it was Flash Dance and Madonna," Ms. Novick said. "There's always been something. You can go back and always find something that has mortified people."

Contact Donna Boynton at Donna.Boynton@telegram.com or follow her on Twitter @DonnaBoyntonTG